Jeremy Guthrie in 2014 (photo courtesy Getty Images).
Stanford in the World Series
Courtesy: Stanford Athletics
Release: 10/15/2014
Tillie Shafer - New York Giants - 1912, 1913
Shafer was a student at Stanford University after playing in the 1912 and 1913 World Series with the New York Giants. He appeared in three games in the 1912 series loss to Boston and went 3-19 (.158) in five starts during another second-place finish, this time to the Philadelphia Athletics. The Game 5 loss, which featured Hall of Famers Christy Mathewson versus Eddie Plank on the mound, would be the last game for Shafer. “While playing with the Giants in New York, I aged 10 years and my hair is turning gray,” said Shafer of his retirement. He enrolled at Stanford to study agriculture and played in exhibition games for the school. He later became successful in multiple endeavors including real estate, an automotive agency, a fruit distributorship and a men’s clothing store. "I shouldn't have broken and run that way," Shafer told Baseball Magazine in 1933 about quitting the game. "I've been sorry ever since."
Information via Society for American Baseball Research
Shafer’s World Series stats
Two series, zero titles
8 G, .158 (3-19), 2B, 3B, 1 RBI
Bobby Brown - New York Yankees - 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951
Bobby Brown was the first with Stanford ties in over 30 years to play in the World Series winning four titles with the New York Yankees between 1947-51. But baseball was not the only interest for the future American League president. Brown had a passion for medicine and enrolled in Stanford in 1942 to major in chemical engineering. He enlisted in the Navy while at Stanford in 1943 and was assigned to a unit at UCLA, where he had five semesters to finish his pre-med route. After a stop at the Tulane Medical School, Brown signed with the Yankees and was in the majors by the end of the 1946 season. With four rings, Brown retired at the age of 29 to become a full-time doctor. He continued a long medical career until later becoming the interim president of the Texas Rangers and the AL president. Brown is a member of the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame.
Information via Society for American Baseball Research
Brown’s World Series stats
Four appearances, four titles
17 G, .439 (18-41), 9 RBI
Chuck Essegian - Los Angeles Dodgers - 1959
Chuck Essegian has one of, if not the most, efficient World Series batting lines in history. In four games played during the 1959 series, he went 2-3 with two pinch-hit home runs against the Chicago White Sox. The first blast was in a Game 2 victory and the second was part of the clinching win in Game 6. Essegian became the second man in history to play in both the Rose Bowl and the World Series, after playing in the 1952 Rose Bowl with the Cardinal.
Essegian’s World Series stats
One appearance, one title
4 G, .667 (2-3), 2 HR, 2 RBI
Jim Lonborg - Boston Red Sox - 1967
Jim Lonborg went 2-1 during the 1967 World Series for Boston, a seven-game series loss to St. Louis. But the most memorable moment for the 1967 Cy Young winner may have been clinching the pennant. He was on the mound for the last out of the Game 162 as Boston clinched the American League for the first time since 1958. Thousands of Red Sox faithful rushed the field and surrounded Lonborg in jubilation. “Thank God for the Boston police,” Lonborg later recalled. The right hander enjoyed 15 seasons in MLB, before retiring and becoming a dentist. He was a pre-med student at Stanford and finished at Tufts Dental School after his playing career.
Lonborg’s World Series stats
One series, zero titles
3 GS, 2-1, 2.63 ERA, 11 K, 2 BB
Bob Boone - Philadelphia Phillies - 1980
Bob Boone, one of the most accomplished MLB players to come out of Stanford, helped the Phillies to the 1980 World Series title over the Kansas City Royals in six games. Boone led the team in batting average, but was bypassed for the World Series MVP award to future Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, who hit two homers and drove in seven runs as the team won its first world championship. Boone, a four-time all-star, played 19 seasons in MLB and finished with a .254 average and 1,838 hits. He is now the vice president of player personnel for the Washington Nationals.
Boone’s World Series stats
One series, one title
6 G, .412 (7-17), 4 RBI
Ed Sprague - Toronto Blue Jays - 1992, 1993
Ed Sprague won World Series during two of his first three years in the big leagues. He was a role player on Toronto’s 1992 squad, before moving to a starting job as part of the 1993 championship team. Although Sprague had only one hit in the 1993 World Series, he helped Toronto win the American League pennant by going 6-21 (.286) in the 1993 American League Championship Series and also homered during the 1992 World Series. Sprague, who totaled 11 years in MLB, is in his 12th season as head coach at Pacific.
Sprague’s World Series stats
Two series, two titles
8 G, .117 (2-17), HR, 4 RBI
Ruben Amaro, Jr. - Cleveland Indians - 1995
Ruben Amaro, Jr., who also has World Series experience as a Major League Baseball executive, appeared in the series with Cleveland in 1995. He played eight seasons in MLB, with a .235 average over 485 games, before retiring in 1998. Immediately following his retirement, he became an assistant general manager for the Philadelphia Phillies. Amaro was named the Phillies’ general manager on November 3, 2008.
Amaro, Jr.’s World Series stats
One series, zero titles
2 G, .000 (0-2)
Mike Aldrete - New York Yankees - 1996
Mike Aldrete capped a 10-year career with a world title in 1996. A career .263 hitter, Aldrete is one of many former Cardinal in baseball coaching. The 1983 graduate is in his third season as bench coach for the St. Louis Cardinals and seventh overall year with the organization. Aldrete has also spent time with Arizona (2005-06) and Seattle (2004) at the MLB level.
Aldrete’s World Series stats
One series, one title
2 G, .000 (0-1)
Mike Mussina - New York Yankees - 2001, 2003
Mike Mussina, a College World Series champion during his freshman year at Stanford in 1988, pitched in nine postseasons and appeared in the 2001 and 2003 World Series. The first-round pick was a star with the Cardinal and continued during 18 MLB seasons. He won 270 games and posted a career 3.68 ERA, while narrowly missing rings with the Yankees in 2001 and again in 2003. A five-time all-star, Mussina is on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.
Mussina’s World Series stats
Two series, zero titles
3 GS, 1-1, 3.00 ERA
Eric Bruntlett - Philadelphia Phillies - 2008, 2009
Eric Bruntlett was the last former Stanford baseball player to win a World Series ring when he did so in 2008. With fellow Cardinal Ruben Amaro, Jr. serving as the Phillies general manager, Bruntlett homered and scored three runs in the series. He again helped the Phillies to the 2009 World Series and also turned an unassisted triple, a feat only 15 major leaguers have achieved, during the 2009 season.
Bruntlett’s World Series stats
Three series, one title
8 G, .250 (1-4), HR
Jeremy Guthrie - Kansas City Royals - 2014, 2015
Jeremy Guthrie helped Kansas City to one of the most improbable postseason runs in recent history when the Royals advanced all the way to Game 7 of the 2014 World Series. Guthrie went 1-1 with a 4.05 ERA over 13.1 playoff innings, with his loss coming in the final game of the fall classic against San Francisco. The former Stanford right-hander picked up a win in Game 3 of the World Series and also threw seven shutout innings in Kansas City's playoff-clinching win during the regular season. Guthrie was not on the World Series roster for the Royals in 2015, but was a part of Kansas City's pennant run, and earned a World Series ring when the Royals beat the New York Mets in five games.
Guthrie's World Series stats
Two series, one title
2 GS, 1-1, 5.40 ERA
